The Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride at Disney Universe Fantasy Kingdom. Ride Summary Queue Guests walk through many curves outside the mansion, passing a pet cemetery, and are led into the Foyer of the mansion. Flickering candles light the room from sconces and the sole chandelier, while an organ plays a single-note melodic line which serves as the theme for the rest of the ride. After enough guests have gathered in the foyer, the "Ghost Host" voice introduces himself and welcomes everyone to the Haunted Mansion. From there, the guests are brought into an octagonal room, where the door by which they entered becomes a wall and they watch the Stretching Room pre-show. Pre-show The chilling voice of the Ghost Host taunts guests. As the voice speaks, the walls quietly seem to stretch upwards, elongating the paintings on them to reveal the fates of previous guests. (For instance, one man is seen to be standing, but as the room stretches it reveals him on top of a keg of dynamite.) The lights go out, lightning and thunder effects fill the gallery and, with a flash of light the rafters, a glimpse of the remains of the "Ghost Host" are shown dangling by a rope from the ceiling rafters above. When the walls finally do open, guests are ushered into a hallway lined with paintings that change from normal to spooky every few seconds. A simulated thunderstorm rages outside while the grim busts of a man and woman placed at the end of the hall seem to turn their heads in relationship to the viewer's perspective. Ride Boarding Area The boarding area consists of a continuous track of "Doom Buggies" in which the guests sit as they are taken through the mansion. From here, the guests travel up a staircase and begin the guided tour of the house. They pass an endless hallway and a conservatory containing a coffin whose occupant is trying to get out. They then travel down a corridor of doors. Finally, the guests' attention is directed towards a large grandfather clock which is striking thirteen as an eerie shadowy hand passes by. The Seance Circle After the corridor of doors, guests move into a seance circle, hosted by Madame Leota - a disembodied head inside of a crystal ball. After this encounter, the Ghost Host announces the happy haunts have received guests sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. From here, the Doom Buggies move up another flight of stairs and up to a balcony overlooking the ballroom. The Ballroom In the ballroom, the Doom Buggies pass a ballroom where ghosts dance in mid-air. Also taking place in the ballroom is a birthday party and with each effort of the birthday girl to blow out the candles, the rest of the figures sitting at the table disappear and reappear. There are also two ghostly gunmen coming out of their portraits to fire their guns at each other. A ghostly organist plays an organ. The Attic Guests enter the attic, where they are shown wedding portraits of Constance Hatchaway--a bride with a terrible habit of decapitating her husbands. To the left side of the bride stands the Hatbox Ghost, who's head disappeared and reappeared in his Hatbox with ever beat of the bride's heart. Wedding gifts are neatly stacked throughout the attic along with five corresponding wedding portraits. The bride, whose name is Constance is the same in each portrait, with the husband being different each time. In each portrait, the head of each husband slowly disappears and reappears as the bride admits to doing each of them in. A hatchet appears and disappears in her hands throughout her monologue. The Graveyard From here, the guests descend down to a graveyard full of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" who have come out to "socialize." Guests pass a frightened caretaker and his dog, then enter the graveyard proper. A band of musicians is playing, a quintet is singing and many other spooks are enjoying the "swinging wake." From here, the guests enter the crypt and are issued this warning: "Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts." Guests learn that they have been selected to fill the quota of 1000 happy haunts and that they will be haunted until they return. Guests pass a group of mirrors where a ghost seems to sit right in the Doom Buggy. Afterwards, the Buggies arrive at the unload area. The Exit After the guests exit out of the Doom Buggies, they pass through the remainder of the crypt and see the "Ghost Hostess" who taunts the guests and reminds them to bring their death certificates the next time they come. Mechanics The Doom Buggies are actually Omnimovers which pan the riders to focus their attention on specific scenes. The endless hallway is done using many mirrors. The Madam Leoda effect is done using a projector that projects her face onto her crystal ball. In the ballroom, to make the ghosts look transparent, Peppers Ghost effect is used. In the attic, to make the husbands heads disappear in the paintings, the painting is actaully a projection. The entire bride, like Madame Leoda, is a white statue. Her face and body appears using projection. To create the effect of the hatbox ghost, a trick lighting effect would make it appear that his head would disappear off his shoulders and reappear in his hatbox, timed to the beat of the Bride's heart. 5 singing busts in the graveyard habe their faces shown using projection mapping. The hitchhiking ghosts are animtronics. The make the ghosts appear nextguests in the mirror, they are projected into the mirror. Haunted Mansion Holiday Queue Guests approach the mansion, now adorned with a giant clock that tells how many days are left until Christmas. The rest of the Mansion is decorated with garlands, candles and pumpkins, while Jack's sleigh is on the roof. Guests enter the foyer with garlands draped on the walls before entering the stretching room, where the paintings of the Mansion's former residents are replaced by stained glass windows. When the door closes and the room starts to stretch, the glass shatters, revealing depictions of a nightmarish version of Christmas. The suicidal Ghost Host is replaced by a big animtronic Jack wishing riders a Happy Holiday. Upon leaving the stretching room, the guests walk down the portrait corridor, where the portraits have been replaced by Christmas scenes that transform into Halloween, such as a snowman changing into a pumpkin man, Santa to Jack and the Haunted Mansion to Haunted Mansion Holiday. The guests board the Doom Buggies. Ride The Buggies travel through all the same rooms as they would in the traditional attraction, but with holiday twists. Zero floats where the Candleabra usually does. Madame Leota recites the 13 Days of Christmas and each gift. The ballroom hosts a Christmas party and on the table is a giant Gingerbread. The attic scene contains presents while the graveyard is covered in "Ghostly White Snow" and Jack and Zero replace the frightened caretaker and his dog. Lock, Shock and Barrel replace the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Guests are then shown what gifts they got in the mirrors, mimicking the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Little Leota is replaced with Sally looking at Jack flying away in his sleigh. Trivia * Saftey Restraint: Lap Bar * Fastpass availible * This ride also exists at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Park, and Tokyo Disneyland. Category:Magic Kingdom Attractions Category:Disney Villains World Category:Dark Rides Category:Walt Disney World Resort